The tough skinned hand of the older male loosely clutched the glass of scotch. The bottle was nearly empty, the man had spent days in his office nursing it. It was a gift he had gotten from a group of hunter’s he and his wife had met in Germany. The pair had accepted it, previously planning on regifting it to Reese, as neither of them were heavy drinkers. But tonight, and for the last week, Jacob Drake had become even worse than his friend. He was ashamed to admit this to himself, but also knew there was no denying it. He was drowning his sorrows, drinking away the loss, regret, and worse than either of the others, the knowledge that it was too late. The knowledge that he had lost the most precious thing in this world due to his own hand. 

The office door opened slowly, and Jacob turned his blank stare up from his glass to meet the eyes of his friend. Reese slipped through the door, closing it again behind him. Jacob tore his gaze away as the older man sat down in one of the chairs across from him.

“Well? Any word?”

“James says she’s doing fine,” Reese confirmed, and Jacob felt a wave of relief wash over him. Victoria was fine. He didn’t kill his daughter. “She’s still adjusting, but she’s already shifted. Their Doctor did some research on her and they know she’s wasn’t human. Her mate’s apparently been hounding for information, no pun intended.”

Knocking back the remainder of his drink, the glass rattled as it met the hard wood of his desk. Jacob met Reese’s stare with bloodshot eyes. “It’s not like it makes a difference now. He’s already turned her.” His voice was rough, and sounded as broken as the man felt.

“Yeah, ‘bout that, chief,” Reese leaned back in his chair, his hand casually resting on the gun strapped to his thigh. “The kid didn’t have much of a choice in that. The way James is telling it, that rogue already got her good. Their hands were pretty much tied. Either turn her or let her die.”

“She wouldn’t have-”

“They don’t know what we know,” Reese cut off his ‘employer’ before he could try to argue with him. “Look, I’m not a fan of the way this is going either, but so far the kid’s been coming through.” Reese didn’t need to add anything else to it. He watched Jacob cross his arms over his chest and spin in his chair to look out the window. He knew Reese was right. The only reason he and his wife felt safe leaving Victoria alone so often was because the boy was around. Jacob knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to her, if anything could get past Reese and Maggie that is. “But James is pretty pissed about the truck. He wants us to fix it up, says to think of it as child support.”

Jacob ground his teeth together, his nostrils flaring. “That idiot,” he spit. “I knew I couldn’t trust him. I told him to track the card, not hunt her down! What was that fool thinking! He could have gotten her killed!”

“I think he was trying to kill them both,” Reese shook his head and sighed. “You know how he is, anything that isn’t human is evil in his eyes. I don’t know why you even bothered with him. So she went shopping? Big whoop. She doesn’t exactly feel safe coming home, Jacob.”

“Good,” Jacob frowned. “She shouldn’t. Those rogues will have more trouble getting into that pack than they will getting in this house. She’s safer there.”

Reese shrugged, but nodded. “I still think you should tell her you didn’t mean to shoot her. She thinks yo-”

“If that damn boy didn’t get in the way, it wouldn’t have touched her!” Jacob shouted, his hands slamming down on the desk. Reese stood to his feet, but was not at all threatened by the man’s outburst. “Like I could ever…” His voice broke, and he trailed off. He took a deep breath and spoke again, his voice steady, but still clearly angry. “I’ll deal with the truck, and Jefferson, just keep me updated.”

“I will, James is home with the King Mathias now. He promised not to say anything about what she is to either of them. Mathias agrees the more they know will put them in danger, all he asks in that we keep the hunters off them and focus our efforts on the rogues. They are getting brave, trying to get into the pack. Apparently the boy had left town for a while and just came back,” Reese stated. “Their royal witch is still piecing together what the rogues are actually planning, but she knows they need Victoria alive for it, possibly Baekhyun too.”

Slowly sinking back down into his chair, Jacob held his frown and nodded. “We’ll have to grab another one soon, see if we can get anything out of them. Have you located their alpha yet?”

“No, but I’ve got a lead,” Reese shook his head and grabbed the bottle from the table. He began pouring some of the brown liquid into Jacob’s discarded glass as he spoke. “Maggie’s boys are in route, should be here by tomorrow. It’s gonna be pretty pack here with the three of them and their families.”

Jacob appreciated his friends change of topic, his daughter still being a sensitive one for him. His mouth opened to respond, but his office door opened again as his wife stepped in. “Oh, good evening, Richard,” she smiled as she entered the room.

“Please, call me ,” Reese grinned at her.

Her smile fell, and she sighed, looking away from him to her husband. “I just got off the phone with Jefferson. According to him, he felt attacked by her mate. Of course, I explained to him that we have already seen the dash cam, and he had nothing else to say after that. It amazes me, how her mate can attack him in a car on the other side of the interstate. I have met him before, Jacob, and the boy is about as threatening as a butterfly. He’s practically an infant compared to the others.”

“I know dear. I will deal with Jeff-”

“I mean I would get it if the boy actually tried something, but one angry look from you had him practically pissing his pants! And he had the alpha’s son with him then!” his wife continued to rant as she approached the desk. Walking around to stand next to her husband, she opened a draw and withdrew a lighter and a pack of cigarettes. She paused her speech long enough to light one before continuing. “I mean, I never disliked the boy. He was always kind and respectful, and Victoria of course has always been head over heels for him. Even before he spoke to her she would talk about “the boy with the red hair.”” She said, putting air quotes around the phrase. 

The woman smacked an ashtray down on the desk and relaxed into her husband’s seat behind it. Sighing, her husband walked around the desk and took a seat in a different chair. While his wife continued to speak of her fondness for the boy, her husband rubbed his temples. His wife was exceptional at speaking, to anyone or no one. His daughter could be the same at times, but she more often than not thought quietly to herself, much like himself. What he wouldn’t give to see her again…

“I still don’t understand why we can’t tell Baekhyun that we do not intend to hurt them. I understand Victoria, she tends to run from her problems, and if she knows she is more than welcome home, she will likely come home. But why are we all keeping this from him?”

“You really want to torture that boy with that?” Reese spoke up from where he sat in the other chair. “Oh yeah, just let him know you guys are all good, but not let him tell her. So he can sit there and watch her feel terrible and not tell her anything?”

The woman on her teeth and made a clicking sound with her tongue. “Point taken,” she muttered. “I just… don’t like that everyone is leaving them in the dark. That poor kid’s looking for answers and everyone’s just batting him around. James said it was a direct order from Mathias, so I understand their stance, but we don’t have to listen to Mathias.”

“He still has more power than us, honey,” Jacob sighed from his seat. “It’s a lot better to focus on the rogues and let him handle the rest.”

 

“Dad showed up about an hour ago, King in tow.”

 

Victoria felt a wave of dread wash over her as she peeked out from behind Baekhyun. Baekhyun in turn went stiff as Kris stood from where he leaned on the wall of the pack house. She kept hold of the back of Baekhyun’s shirt as the taller boy crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. 

“Dad said it’s just a check in, but with the issues between the hunters and the rogues I’m not so sure,” Kris continued to speak, his voice hushed as he looked around. It was midday, but the usually busy town center of the pack was practically empty. Victoria assumed this was due to the King’s presence. Kris opened his mouth to speak again, but stopped himself when the pack house opened up behind him. 

The man Victoria had only seen once before, when she was in the hospital, stepped out first. He was the spitting image of Kris, and the way her wolf cowered in her chest told her her assumption was right. Simple jeans and a button up shirt was all he wore, not that Victoria was sure she expected much else. Was the leader of the pack supposed to be regal? The man following him surely was. Even with his tie loosened and the first button undone, he was everything she expected of a CEO or maybe the president. Either way, the man seeped with raw power. His eyes, like those she had seen from Kris, were a stark blood red and appeared to have no intention to change. Victoria hoped to remember to ask about that at some po-

“No need to wonder,” The man suddenly spoke up, his voice smooth like velvet but cold. “Yes, my dear, they do and will always remain the same. Victoria is? The Drake child?”

Victoria could only nod, her breath locked in . Her heart pounded loudly in her chest and she was sure the men around her could smell her fear. 

Still, the king’s lips curled into a smile that followed with a nod. “Well then, welcome to our word, pup. You are truly in the best of hands.” Laughing, he clapped a hand onto James shoulder, who, to Victoria’s further surprise, brushed him off. 

“Matthias, must you startle the poor girl? Come on, I’m sure your son’s awfully bored by now.” Turning back to the young wolves, James waved a hand at them all. “Run along then. Bit behind schedule today. We can all play catch up another time.” With that, as strange as it was, the king and Alpha James headed off through the pack without looking back. 

Having been watching their backs, Victoria didn’t register the two boys speaking until she felt a tug in her chest. Her head snapped to Kris’s attention and for a moment she saw him crack a smile. “Don’t worry, Dad will tell me at least something of this at dinner. No promise I can tell either of you, but it is better than nothing.”

As her wolf calmed in her chest, Victoria found her voice again. “How did he know that?” She asked, following after Kris as he went into the pack house. “How did he know I was curious about his eyes?”

She watched Kris’s shoulder pull up in a shrug as he went through the house. “He’s the king, Vic. If anyone can read your mind, it would be him. Not really sure how, though. The bloodline’s pretty secretive about their abilities. If you’re really that curious, you can always ask. Not liked they would really tell.”

Frowning at him, Victoria paused in her steps, looking back and slightly shocked to see Baekhyun a step behind her. He didn’t seem to be though, instead following Kris further into the pack house. Tapping her fingers against her leg a few times, she watched as the two turned around a corner before she turned to go straight back outside. 

The pack center had livened up again since the king had gone, and Victoria tried to seem casual as she followed the steps the men had taken. She was trying to keep quiet, naturally, but it wasn’t her largest concern when the one you followed read minds. A light jog took her around the trees, and she realized they were heading right back to the vehicles. The trees around her seemed unusually quiet as she went, making her own sounds seem amplified. Still, she pressed on. Was she not allowed to follow them? No one had explicitly told her so..

As the trees parted and the garage came into her view, she was surprised to see Alpha James, the king, and a younger guy all staring directly at her. Victoria halted in her steps, suddenly very much regretting this impulsive choice. Other men stood behind them, looking over a vehicle. A destroyed and damaged vehicle she knew too well. Then, a voice entered her head. 

Standing there all day won’t give you the answers you came for, pup. Smooth and cold, she knew it to be the king, despite the rough edge it seemed to carry this way.

Beginning with slow steps, Victoria made her way over to them, quickly becoming anxious at her own pace before she jogged the remaining way. 

King Matthias still smiled at her, his arms crossed over his chest. “Now, tell me, little one, is your curiosity truly powerful enough to overcome your own fears of facing me?”

Again, Victoria felt close up. It was unnerving the way this man could piece her apart so easily. Even Baekhyun could read her this well, why could he? “I-I would like to think so… s-sir.”

This made the man chuckle, turning his back from her to look at the vehicle again. “Hm, a shame a spirit like that wasn’t mated for my pups. Still, I hold out hope.” 

Next to him, the younger guy rolled his eyes, turning his back to her as well and approaching the van. Alpha James spoke up next. “Kris told me you and Baekhyun were in this crash, right? A few hunters on your trail?”

“Y-yes, sir,” Victoria nodded. Locking her fingers behind her back, she attempted to swallow the lump in to no avail. 

The king hummed again, walking a slow lap around the van and his men. “Three attacks from rogues, two from hunters. You are quite popular, Victoria Drake.” Refusing to respond, she kept her eyes on the vehicle, watching as a man pulled the shotgun form the back seat. She recalled the light stinging in her hand from the bullets, now regretting tossing them out the window. Could that lead the hunters to the pack? Reese and Maggie had been here before.. Did they tell other people? Would they? “Tell me, girl, what makes you so special?”

“I-I-”

“Matthias, I believe we’ve already discussed these matters thoroughly, don’t you?” Alpha James stepped in, turning and coccking his head to the side. Victoria watched as the two locked eyes for a moment before Matthias clapped his hands.

“Ah, correct you are, Jameson. Correct you are.” The way they looked at each other made her uneasy, like it was very clear they were hiding something important. Still, they continued on as if it was nothing. Victoria could feel the cold eyes on the younger man looking at her, and her head snapped to the side. Unlike with her mate, this males sudden proximity made Victoria jump back, her shoulder’s squaring as she met the deep red eyes. She felt her wolf cowering in her chest, making her feel weak and small under his stare, more so than she was sure Kris even could. 

A hand planted on her back, and she looked up at Alpha James who smiled down at her. “What is it you needed, Vic?”

When she looked back to the boy, he was already looking at something else on the car. “I-I wanted to know…” she started slowly, her eyes moving from him to James again. “Why can he read my mind? I don’t understand…”

James laughed lightly at this nodding and leading her away to the trail again. “Simple really,” he began, “As you move up in rant, you develop different skills and abilities, and as the king, Matthias is able to mind link with anyone in his rule. I could do the same if I chose with you or Tanner. He’s more playful than he seems, I assure you. Nothing to worry about. Go on, now. I’m sure Baekhyun is worried where you’ve run off too.”

Without her realizing it, he had led her back to the trail and away from the king and the strange boy with him. He gave her a small push to continue down it before he turned and went back. Victoria wasn’t completely satisfied with that answer, but it was better than the one Kris had given her. More importantly, she had a free excuse to get away from the king and the boy. 

The way back would be shorter without her jogging to keep up, but the trail was easy to follow. Her stomach didn’t feel as turned at it had at the dinner, and she was beginning to regret not trying to shift. If she could try and convince Baekhyun to let her shift in her bathroom or something, maybe she could still do it today. 

As she was walking back, taking her time and not worried of how long that would actually be, she felt a chill go up her spine. A familiar sensation washed over her, a feeling of dread. She felt the skin on her neck prickle as a warm breath washed over it. Victoria whipped around to be met with nothing, the feeling returning to her neck again. Again, she whipped around, over and over back and forth feeling her heartbeat pumping hard in her chest as laughter filled the air. 

“I understand your not a true wolf, but this is pathetic,” the voice said, all while laughing at her.

Victoria wanted to run, her fear and panic making her even more jumpy the longer this went on. Finally she turned again to see the red eyes staring at her, a large cruel grin on his face. Victoria stumbled back, making the man snort and shake his head.

“I expected more from one who caused so much trouble, but you’re nothing more than a worthless half-breed. Seriously, my father spoke to you? You?!” He was mocking her, laughing in her face. Victoria was hung up on specific words though. His father? Did he mean the King Matthias? “And what? You have nothing to say? Just stand there and stare at me? Truly you are pathetic.”

Huffing to herself, Victoria straightened out her hair. Even with his title, if it truly was his, her wolf scoffed in her chest. What kind of prince would behave this way? Sneaking up on a girl in the woods? What a creep. Turning, Victoria continued walking down the trail, uninterested in playing his game, and uninterested in the trouble she would cause by insulting him directly. 

He didn’t seem to like that. She felt his hand on her shoulder, yanking her back with enough force to throw her to the ground. “I was speaking to you!” he barked at her, his expression of joy turning into on of anger within a second. “You cannot turn your back to me!”

Having a much harder time holding her tongue even when her wolf shrank back at his anger, Victoria, wincing, stood, dusting off her clothes. “You seemed to enjoy your game more when I couldn’t see you anyway,” she stated. She was trying to keep calm, the last thing she needed was Baekhyun storming in like a bat out of hell.

“Do not sass me!” he snapped back. “You have no right to speak to me that way!”

“According to you, I have no right at all, as a half-breed.” Victoria could guess what that meant, some off shot for having been something besides a werewolf. Even if it wasn’t, it was clearly meant to be hurtful. “But I do have a job to do, if you could excuse me.” 

Victoria attempted to step around him, but he only stepped in her way again. “Like they would give a job to someone like you. I’m surprised James hasn’t killed you off already. I told him to, you know. To hand you off to the rogues and hunters. You and your little mate.” A growl forming in the pit of her stomach without Victoria’s approval, which made him begin laughing again. “Oh is that it then? You care for your little mate? Just you wait, half-breed. I will have my father be rid of the both of you. There is no room in the pack for anything less than the pure.” 

Satisfied with his little speech, he pushed passed her, knocking her to the ground again as he did. He was incredibly fast, she noticed. By the time she looked up, it was like he had completely vanished. Standing to her feet again, Victoria frowned, sticking her tongue out at the path she assumed he followed. She rubbed her shoulder, the area still sore underneath her shirt even with so little left of the wound. Victoria wasn’t phased by what he said, though. She had bigger problems on her plate than some asshats threats. If he tried to get rid of Baekhyun, Victoria was sure the pack would riot at the very least. Her, not so much, but everyone she met seemed to like Baekhyun. Everyone knew him. There wasn’t a way in hell Alpha James would let him get sold off to some rogues.

 

The rest of the walk back, Victoria tried to forget the mean man’s words, focusing more on what James had said about the royal family and their ‘abilities’ as he called it. Did that imply all of the royal family would have abilities? Did James have them since he was an alpha? Did Kris? As she rounded back into the center of the pack, she was surprised to see Baekhyun leaning against a tree, picking at his nails. When she walked past him, she didn’t have to say anything, he already fell in step beside her.

She glanced at him as he wiped his hands on his pants, shaking his hands out. “Did they tell you anything interesting?”

Victoria shrugged, debating if she wanted to tell him about the mean man. “Alpha James told me a bit about the mind reading thing. He said it was like the mind link, and that different ranks have better abilities or something.”

He nodded, and she let him take the lead back to the pack house. “I meant Noah,” he clarified, glancing down at her. “Dark hair, red eyes, thinks because he’s the king's son he has special privileges?”

Narrowing her eyes at him, she said, “How did you-”

“Your heart rate,” Baekhyun cut her off. She was surprised by how casual he seemed, and that if he knew she was scared, why didn’t he come? She followed him quietly, not saying anything and looking at him, which eventually had him sighing. “And I followed you, is that what you wanted to hear?”

It was her turn to nod, picking up her pace as she walked through the door. “Yep, thanks for the help with that.”

She could hear him sighing behind her as she marched to her room. Victoria didn’t get it. He was more than willing to jump in and get himself hurt behind rogues and hunters at a moment's notice, but speaking up against anyone above beta? Unheard of. He didn’t say anything else until they were in her room, door closed and locked behind him. Victoria flopped onto her bed, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him as he stood across from her. “Well, you handled it great.”

“Seriously?!” she snapped at him, and he raised his hands in defense.

“Okay, okay, fine. Should I probably have stepped in and argued with him? Yes, would he have decapitated me right then and there? Also yes. You don’t seem to get I am not allowed to argue with someone like him,” he said, waving his hands around. “I am not allowed to argue with Jessica, I am not allowed to argue with Noah. I can’t do that.”

“Oh, what and I can?!”

Baekhyun grinned at her, nodding his head. “Yep,” he said, popping the ‘p.’ Confusion swept over Victoria’s face as she stared back at him like he had grown a separate head. “You can say something to them. You will only get pushed around. There is a reason all he could do was threaten you and push you down. He isn’t allowed to hurt you without an order. Same reason Kris told you you are allowed to fight back with Jessica. He can’t put a hand on his sister, I can’t put a hand on his sister. You, however, have been given permission.”

Mulling over his words, Victoria couldn’t tell if he was being ist or if this was an actual law the pack followed. Why in the world would she be allowed to fight back more than he could? What did he mean ‘Noah’ or whoever would have killed Baekhyun? “I don’t understand. Are you saying you can’t hit women?”

He made a ‘so-so’ gesture with his hand and came around, sitting down in her desk chair. “Yes and no. I told you before how there are no more fey around right? They were wiped out because hunters and their enemies were killing the women and children before the men. They didn’t just kill everyone, they killed their species. After that, the Achords passed a few laws around harming women or children unnecessarily.” He paused to let her take it all in before he continued. “So, if Noah would have gotta mad and hurt you or worse kill you, unless he could prove you attacked him, he would be exiled and hunted. But me? He could have snapped my neck and wrote it off as collateral damage. Basically, he can claim he killed me on accident and get off with a slap on the wrist, but you? Even his dad wouldn’t be able to get him off on that.”

“Wh-what about the rogues then?” Victoria found herself asking. “And hunters? What if you kill one of them?”

Baekhyun spun back and forth in the chair as he spoke, this clearly a boring topic for him. “Rogues don’t follow the Achords, so you can’t be tried for them. Hunter’s are trickier, but unless there is a war going on they can be held to it too. Point is, I can’t talk back to them and piss them off. Normally, Jessica you wouldn’t be able to talk back to either, but Kris gave you permission to deal with her.” She watched as he stopped spinning and stood up, walking around the room and fiddling with things.

Victoria laid back on her bed, thinking over the new information. She could feel that ache coming back to her stomach, making her uncomfortable no matter which way she laid, and it made it hard to focus on anything for too long. She could hear Baekhyun touching random things and moving them around and rolled over to look at him. She watched him walk around the room, pick something up, look it over, then set it back down. Some things he would just place his hand on for a moment before moving on to something else. 

“What are you doing?” she asked, giving him an odd look as he drug his hand across the top of her dresser. 

“Your room stinks,” he said, continuing to touch things. 

She narrowed her eyes at him and sniffed the air. Sure, she had some dirty socks on the floor of her bathroom, but they didn’t smell that bad. Not enough to stink up a room. “It does not,” Victoria frowned, popping up and walking over to him. He wasn’t bothered, continuing to touch random objects. The books Julia had given her for something to do, Amber had printed out a picture she had taken of Victoria and Julie laughing in their kitchen. It was little stuff, stuff Amber said would make it more homey. “It doesn’t smell like anything.”

“Does too,” he argued, running his hand over the curtain. Tired of him just touching everything, she smacked his hand. “What?” he laughed. Baekhyun took a step away from the curtains, steps Victoria followed until he sat on her bed. “It smells like Amber in here, and Andrew. With a little bit of Mom by the dresser.”

Now she truly looked at him like he was crazy. It smelled like his family? In her room? VIctoria sniffed again, again smelling nothing unusual. “No, it doesn’t.”

“Yes, it does,” Baekhyun grinned up at her. “You just don’t have the nose I do. Everytime I walk it here it’s like I’m walking right into Amber’s room. She’s everywhere in here. Just.. perfume and powder, all over the place.”

Victoria rolled her eyes at him, looking around the room. She did not know what the issue was either way. Amber’s perfume smelled nice, it didn’t stink or anything. “So? She was helping me in here a few days ago. It’s probably-”

“Nuh uh, it’s cause some of this is her old crap,” he corrected her. “It’s still got her scent on it.”

“Okay, I’ll repeat, so?” Victoria laughed lightly, not getting what his issue was. Standing in front of him, she twisted the ring around her finger, looking around the room. A lot of what was in here was Amber’s old stuff, but she didn’t care. It was more stuff than she had right now, and she needed it. 

“Sooo,” he mocked her, standing up again and continuing his walk around the room. “I’m replacing it. It’s weird walking in your mates room and smelling my family. I’d much rather walk in here and smell me, at least till your scent replaces it all.”

“That’s weird,” she said, but let him continue walking around the room. “What you just said and what you’re doing is weird.” Victoria sat back on the bed, watching and laughing to herself as he walked around the room touching random items. She still couldn’t smell the difference, so it really didn’t bother her. 

What bothered her was the stomach pain. It was like her stomach was cramping and burning at the same time. Victoria leaned back against her head board and closed her eyes, hoping the pain would just go away. It was too early to be her time of the month, so she could only assume it was something she ate. 

Feeling the bed sink next to her, Victoria didn’t bother opening her eyes, instead dropping her head on his shoulder. “You alright?”

“No,” she huffed, curling her knees up into her chest. “My stomach…”

“Hey, can you come to Vic’s room?” she heard him ask, and peeked up at him. He was on the phone now, looking down at her. She could hear jumbled bits of what someone was saying, but not enough to make anything out. “Uh huh, yeah I think it is… Well what am I supposed to do about it?... Can you just come over here?... Thank you, bye.” she watched him sigh, sitting up and setting his phone on the dresser. “Mom’s coming over here. Just, uh, hold tight.” he said, slipping off the bed and walking to the door. “Just wait here, okay?”

Victoria nodded, laying down in the bed again. After a moment, the cramping seemed to fade away, leaving a heat behind in her stomach. Sighing to herself, she tried to shake it off. It was likely just some kind of bug, she never really had the best immune system anyway. Baekhyun didn’t take long to come back, with an ice pack in his hands.

“How did you..” she trailed off as Julia came into the room behind him closing the door. Baekhyun handed Vic the ice pack and sat in the desk chair.

Julia sat on the bed next to her. “What’s going on, sweetheart?” she asked, brushing a piece of Vic’s hair from her face. 

Sitting up, Victoria held the ice pack over her stomach, confused on how he knew she needed that. “Uh, it’s just… hot. I was cramping a bit but I’m mostly just hot.” 

Julia’s hand felt cool on her forehead, making Julia sigh. “Alright, you, out,” she said, pointing to her son who stood and left without question. “Listen, sweetie, this is perfectly natural, okay? It’s… like a side effect of finding your mate. Now, before, when you were, well, not a wolf, this probably felt like a little tummy ache. It only lasts a few days and usually happens around the new moons.”

Narrowing her eyes, Victoria nodded along. “Okay? Why does it hurt now? What is it?”

“We call it heat,” she continued to explain. The way she spoke was slow and Victoria could tell she was choosing her words carefully. The fact this had anything to do with mating told her it was a bad sign. “And it’s gonna hurt more for us wolves. It still won’t last too long, only a day or two, but it’s gonna get worse before it gets better. It’s gonna feel like you’re on fire and it’s gonna ache a lot.”

Frowning, Victoria was waiting for the part where it related to mating, but it wasn’t hard for her to put the pieces together. Still, she wanted to be sure, she hoped she was wrong. “And how can I make it stop?”

“Well,” she sighed, laying her hands on her knees. “That’s something you and Baekhyun will need to decide together. As you get older the heat gets less and less painful, at my age it’s become more of an exciting spark for Tanner and I. But, this is something that will be affecting the both of you. His heat will appear more… physical. They still will get the aches and burning too as the days go on, but he will likely be more attached than anything else. At least if he reacts anything like his father does.”

“Oh great,” Victoria sighed dramatically. “I get to burn and suffer, and he gets to be all lovey dovey? How’s that fair?”

Julia laughed at this, waving her off. “Oh, of course not. It does seem to always start in the females, usually about a day before it really begins to affect them. Most of the time, mates will deal with it on day one to get it over with, but that will be a choice for you two. If you intend to keep whatever deal you have going on, I suggest you two keep your distance, but… I don’t really think either of you will be able to stand that.” 

Still giggling to herself, Victoria rolled away from her on the bed, laying face down on her mattress. After containing her laughter slightly, Julia tapped her on the leg. “If you both intend to be so stubborn, cold showers and ice work wonders. Dinner will be ready in an hour, sweetie. I hope you like spaghetti!” Standing from the bed, Victoria heard as she walked from the room, and them some not so quiet voices outside her door before it opened again.

Victoria felt her stomach twist in nerves as it closed again and heard him sit at the desk. She almost wishes no one told her anything, so she could live in this ignorant bliss of enjoying his complain while she had a cold. Victoria had to admit, aside from the morning, they had been getting along pretty well most of the day. There were a few pats back and forth, but nothing very serious. Did the heat make them not fight too?

“You gonna say something?” he asked, catching her off guard. Lifting her chin up from the bed, Victoria found he was already looking at her, his eyes slightly wider than normal and clearly expecting some kind of response to this. “Like, anything?”

“What do you want me to say?” she asked, pushing herself up in bed. “We both get to feel miserable the next two or three days. What more is there to say? We can’t do anything about it, and the only thing to do about it I’m not doing so that’s that.”

Baekhyun waved at hand at her, dismissing what she said as she said it. “No, I mean that was obvious. I meant more in terms of training? And teaching you? It’s going to get to a point neither of us can get out of bed, and I don’t think teaching you to fight is a good idea right now.”

Snorting, Victoria could only imagine how that would turn out. He told her before training was mostly grappling with each other, and if this was going to be how she thought it was, that was a big no no. Something Julia said seemed to just click in her head. “Hey, have you… you’ve gone through this before, haven’t you?”

He nodded without hesitation. “Yeah, it’s about once a month. Mom always let me stay home once it started. Which is why I’m telling you it gets bad. Really bad. The first day is always a lot of aching for me, but by the second I feel like I’m going a mile a minute. You can hardly tell you feel bad cause you just feel so excited and ready for anything. And . Very very ing ,” he laughed at the last part, running a hand down his face.

“What do you do about it?” she asked, holding the ice pack up on her head now. The aching had mostly gone away, it was mostly the heat left over now. If she had to guess, she would assume her symptoms would be similar to his. 

Baekhyun shook his head, still laughing to himself. “What do you think I do about it? Just think that one through. AS a guy who’s really guess what I do,” he , bouncing his leg where he sat. Victoria was sure her face was already red from the heat, but if it wasn’t she would have blushed. After he stopped laughing some, he took her question more seriously. “I usually run a lot. You used to be so far away I could do laps around the area without worrying about my wolf taking over. That’s not really an option now is it?” 

He was still smiling at her, and the fact he was made her think the heat was already affecting him. When he smiled at her this much, it reminded her that he was still the same Baekhyun from school. The arrogant little goofball that used to annoy her for homework answers. Given what she knew now, she wondered if those were just reasons he had to talk with her. He was plenty smart enough to do his own homework…

“Hello, earth to V,” he laughed, waving a hand in her face. She snapped back, looking up at him. She hadn’t realized he had rolled his chair so close and scooted back on the bed from him. 

“Hey, no! You stay on that side,” she said, pointing back to the desk. Victoria watched as he raised an eyebrow at her, standing from the chair and beginning to take small steps to her. “Hey, stop, go to your side.”

“What if I like this side better?” he asked, sitting at the end of her bed. She glared at him, and he grinned widerleaning closer to her.

“Baekhyun!”

“I’m just messing with you,” Baekhyun laughed, standing and raising his hands. He walked back around to the chair, pushing it into the desk. “Trust me, if I didn’t think I could control myself, I wouldn’t be here.” Walking around her bed, he came up to her side again. She was ready to snap at him, but he just put his hand against her cheek. “Go take a cold shower or something. I’ll see you at the house in a bit.”